2023 is the year of PR executives and teams

For years, PR and communications have been grouped under the marketing department. This makes sense as all three functions play a role in shaping the brand, which is ultimately the responsibility of marketing. Additionally, the nature of PR and marketing often involves content creation and communication strategies.

However, this arrangement can lead to friction between PR and marketing. While marketing is focused on short-term goals of driving demand and generating sales, PR is more concerned with building long-term brand awareness and thought leadership. This can create tension between the two departments, who have different priorities. With the current economic uncertainty and budget cuts, the creation of a Chief Communications Officer or VP of Communications may become a priority for executives in 2023.

Marketing teams are overburdened
Marketing departments are already overburdened, with a wide range of responsibilities, including content creation, demand generation, analytics, SEO, product growth, customer success, and even sales. With the current job market, hiring top talent for these roles is also a challenge for marketing leaders.
Due to the high workload, marketing departments are often tasked with addressing one-off market opportunities, such as competitor influencer campaigns, which can leave essential PR initiatives behind. When a Chief Revenue Officer or Chief Marketing Officer is primarily focused on demand generation and product growth, communications can fall to the wayside.

Effectiveness through separation of communication and marketing
The separation of communications from marketing can improve the effectiveness of both departments. Internal and external communications have become a unified role, with leaders recognizing the importance of strategic internal messaging. The complex nature of modern communications requires strong leadership, collaboration, and a sensitivity to internal and external messages.

Communication and employee retention through internal communication
Communications teams need to work closely with HR to ensure accurate internal messaging and maintain a positive company image. The C-suite also relies on communications leaders for strategic counsel on everything from thought leadership to restructuring and societal issues. Crafting a standout communications strategy and securing executive buy-in is a challenging task that requires experience, excellence, and seniority. As news travels faster due to social media, other C-suite members may recognize the value of a Chief Communications Officer to make unilateral communications decisions.